Slate Bank1880-1900Donated by Mr. & Mrs. Hayden Morris1998.013.0002

David Williams crafted this slate bank for his son, Francis Williams, in the late 1800s. The bank is made with black slate and includes a carved design on the front and back with inset mirrors. Decorative pieces of brass also adorn the bank along with brass handles.

David Williams created this slate bank in Blaenau Ffestinog, Wales, one of the many historic mining towns in Wales. Decrease in population accompanied the decrease in demand for slate in the early 1900s. However, at the peak of the Slate industry, Blaenau Ffestinog was home to 12,000 people, making it the second largest town in North Wales. Slate quarrying in Wales remained prominent just as it has here in the Slate Valley.

Generations of slate workers have produced many unique things from slate, both utilitarian and decorative. While working with slate is a job, to many workers it is their life. Slate is an integral part of Welsh culture and many slate workers create beautiful pieces of art from slate, like this bank, in their down time. This slate bank made its way to the United States in 1902, just as many immigrants and other slate masterpieces made their way to the Slate Valley in the early 1900s.